CVE-2025-69297
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedMissing Authorization vulnerability in GhostPool Aardvark Plugin aardvark-plugin allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Aardvark Plugin: from n/a through <= 2.19.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceA missing authorization vulnerability in the GhostPool Aardvark WordPress Plugin (versions up to 2.19) allows unauthenticated attackers to access functionality that should be restricted to authorized users due to incorrectly configured access control security levels.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Confirm GhostPool Aardvark plugin is installedLog in to WordPress admin, go to Plugins, and look for GhostPool Aardvark in the list of installed plugins. Alternatively, check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a folder named 'aardvark' or 'ghostpool-aardvark'.Affected if The plugin is present on the WordPress site
-
Identify the installed version numberIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins > GhostPool Aardvark and read the version number displayed below the plugin name. If not visible in admin, inspect the plugin main file header in /wp-content/plugins/[plugin-folder]/[main-file].php for the 'Version' tag.Affected if The version is 2.19 or any earlier version (the vulnerability affects versions up to and including 2.19)
-
Test for unauthenticated access to protected AJAX endpointsSend a direct HTTP request to common WordPress AJAX endpoints (such as /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php) with action parameters used by the plugin, without including any authentication cookies or credentials. Observe whether the request returns successful data or executes functions that should require logged-in status.Affected if The plugin responds to AJAX requests without requiring valid authentication, allowing unauthorized access to restricted functionality
-
Verify access control on sensitive plugin functionsAttempt to access or trigger plugin-specific features (such as theme options, user data exports, or content management functions) while logged out. Check if the server permits these actions or returns expected data that should only be available to authorized users.Affected if Unauthenticated (logged-out) users can access functions or data that should be restricted to authenticated administrators or authorized users
A site is affected if GhostPool Aardvark plugin version 2.19 or earlier is installed AND unauthenticated users can access functionality intended only for logged-in authorized users.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataImplement proper authorization, capability checks, and nonce verification on all sensitive plugin functions and AJAX endpoints to ensure only authenticated users with appropriate privileges can access protected functionality.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-69297 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-69297 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data